We sent our reviewer James to watch Sam Williams: Touch Me Not

Queerness and faith are notoriously unhappy bedfellows and it is great to see Sam Williams break out the stand-up comedy lube and get them back on sexy speaking terms again in his accomplished debut hour: Touch Me Not.

As the organ music transitions beautifully into George Michael’s Faith, the ‘Patron Saint of Bisexuals’ announces his entrance and the show begins.

Whilst this is a stand-up show with plenty of jokes, it is also the story of how Williams came to be standing on a black box stage in Edinburgh for the month of August rather than abandoning everything to become a monk in France. And a very enjoyable journey it is too, taking us from evangelical Maidenhead suburbia, to intriguingly spiritual Wales, to confused London and out the other side.

Accompanying him on his journey, Williams sketches in a number of intriguing side characters, from his barrister mother, cross-examining him about his sexuality, to a friendly clergyman, to perhaps most notorious of all, Mr Dixon wielding his by turns hilarious and terrifying Street Bible.

Williams is careful to be supportive of his audience and, as the show alternates between queerness and, as he puts it, the ‘God-dier’ bits, he skilfully juggles the discomfort that each side might feel in the other. As is no doubt a hoped-for aim of the show, it is probably at its strongest when these two aspects are not separate, but rather smashed together. This is particularly apparent in an extended section queering the parable of the Prodigal Son where the energy really ignited and the audience enthusiastically came along for the joyful ride. The prodigal son remains a strong motif throughout, neatly linking Williams’ two worlds.

Williams maintains an assured, but welcoming presence throughout, underscoring the fact that though he may be the one speaking, this is a communal experience. And at its heart, that is what this show is about – communion. About meeting people ‘face to face without artifice’ – whether that be in church, on a wind-blown Welsh mountainside, in a hotbox studio theatre at the Edinburgh Fringe, or in the Instagram DMs of an Olympic figure skater – that is a particularly arresting tale which I won’t spoil here.

Touch Me Not is a very enjoyable hour from a fascinating and engaging performer that should delight both those already familiar with Williams’ viral Instagram content as well as those new to the faith.

RATING: **** 4 Stars

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